Harry Potter and the Last Goodnight

Chapter 33: A Christmas Surprise

There was a sudden "pop" from the living room. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley both set down their forks in anticipation. Harry turned around, so that he was facing the entrance to the living room. If he didn't know any better, it sounded as though someone had just apparated into the other room.

Ginny stopped talking in mid-sentence as the mystery guest appeared from the shadows of the Christmas tree in the living room and stepped into the kitchen.

"I'm home," said a tiny, meek voice. Harry didn't recognize it at first, but when he saw the outrage on Ron, George, and Fred's faces he knew who it was.

Percy, looking tired and more rugged than in his Hogwarts days, was standing in the doorway. Instantly, Mrs. Weasley was on her feet and threw her arms around Percy, her eyes already wet with tears. However, George also stood up, and approached Percy with his shoulders squared and his hands wound into tightly coiled fists at his side.

"Just what the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.

Harry was shocked. He'd rarely seen George so angry - except for on the Quidditch field bitterly protesting a foul. Eva, confused, turned to Harry, looking worried. Secretively, he reached out and patted her hand in her lap, as if to reassure her that everything was all right. But when he tried moved his hand away she reached and intertwined his fingers with her own. Even in the chaos that followed, Harry felt hazy from the warmth of Eva's fingertips.

"I was invited," Percy snapped. "It's my home too."

"Traitors are not welcome here," Fred piped in.

"I thought you two would be done with that rubbish by now," Percy said. "I can see you haven't matured in the least."

"This isn't the time to get into that argument!" Mr. Weasley shouted. He spoke sternly. "This is Christmas Eve. It is a time for family. It is a time for forgiveness. But most of all, it is time to be thankful for what we all have. And whether you like it or not, you have each other. All your mother and I want is for all of us to be together for one night and to be able to get through it without beginning the next world war." He paused. "I want to see you boys shake hands and call it a truce for tonight."

"No way," George replied. Harry realized that he must have been hit the hardest by Percy's betrayal. He crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll be civil with him, but I'll not shake his hand." The two brothers held each other's gaze for a moment, then George took his seat at table.

"Have a seat, Percy," Mrs. Weasley said. She pulled out the chair between Mr. Weasley and Remus. Everyone sat down and started eating again. The room was quiet except for the sound of clanking forks against Mrs. Weasley's good china. Harry regretfully let go of Eva's hand.

The atmosphere had changed substantially. No one spoke. The tension was unbearable. Both of the twins looked as though they were ready to explode in anger at any moment. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley kept exchanging worried glances. Percy concentrated on the plate in front of him and did not look up.

Harry was trying not to think about holding Eva's hand and concentrating on not blushing. He had so many butterflies in his stomach that he could barely breathe, let alone eat. In the silence, he thought about what Ginny had said about cornering Eva under the mistletoe. Did the Weasleys even have it hanging anywhere in the Burrow? Did he have the courage to take action?

Courage? Courage? Of course he had courage! Eva even noticed it. He'd faced Voldemort on numerous occasions. But why did kissing her seem to take so much more bravery than facing the Dark Lord?

The meal was silent until everyone sat back, satisfied. Mrs. Weasley got to her feet. "Everyone ready for pudding?"

"That was delicious, Molly." Remus announced, leaning back on his chair and adjusting the waistband of his pants. But when Harry glanced at his place, he saw that he'd barely touched it. He had never been around Remus much before the full moon. He didn't realize what kind of a toll it took on him. "I don't think I can eat another thing."

"You probably won't want to," Ginny muttered. "Ouch!"

One of the twins had kicked her under the table. They both stood up. "We had the honor of making the pudding this year." They disappeared into the kitchen and came out with a giant cookie sheet that had a cake with a replica of the Christmas tree in the living room on it. It was even dripping golden frosting. Mrs. Weasley cleared an empty spot on the table so that they could set it down.

"Wow," Nora breathed. "It's beautiful."

"It's Devil's Food flavored," George said with a wink.

"If it tastes half as good as it looks, you boys did a wonderful job," Mr. Weasley said.

"We figured we'd better start learning to cook," Fred said. "Especially if we're ever going to move out and live on our own."

Mrs. Weasley made a clicking noise in the back of her throat. "Enough chatter. Let's cut the cake."

George picked up a knife and was about to cut into the cake, when he suddenly stopped, and glanced at Fred. "You know, I've been thinking. And mum, dad, you're right. It is the holidays, and we really should all try to get along because we're family. So I think it's only fair, after all he's been through, that we let the guest of honor do it." He turned the knife and held the handle out to Percy.

Percy, a little bewildered, glanced at his father, who nodded encouragingly. He took the knife. Harry had a bad feeling about this, but he didn't say anything. Perhaps, for once, Fred and George were serious. Maybe they really were trying to make amends with Percy.

"All right," Percy said. "I'll do it."

He stood between the twins, who suspiciously backed away from the table. Harry was just about to tell him not to do it, when Percy leaned over and slid the knife into the cake.

There was a loud bang as gold and green frosting exploded all over the room. The chocolate inside was all over the table and the walls, and even on the candle chandelier above their heads. Percy had gotten the worst of it, but the cake had been placed between Mr. Weasley and Remus, and both were covered in frosting. Even Harry had some on his glasses and in his hair.

Shocked, everyone sat in dead silence. Mrs. Weasley's face was beginning to redden with anger, and just as she was about to explode, there was a soft giggle.

Nora had been trying to hold back her laughter, but she couldn't any longer, and immediately her giggle turned into a squealing laugh, and Eva joined in. Both of them were covered with frosting and chocolate as well.

The laughter spread quickly. The twins glanced sheepishly at each other. Mr. Weasley and Charlie laughed heartily. Even Percy had a broad smile on his face.

"What am I going to do with you two?" Mrs. Weasley laughed.

"Just how did you manage to pull that off?" Charlie said, wiping frosting off his chin. Remus, who was still laughing, blew his nose in his napkin to get the frosting out of it.

"Er, well, it wasn't really cake," Fred explained. "It was a prototype of our Un-Pop-Able Balloons covered in pudding and frosting. Too bad about the balloon really. We'll definitely need further testing."

"Why on earth...?" Mr. Weasley began. He shook his head. "I don't even want to know."

Everyone took their seats and tried to recover. There were still some more outbursts of laughter. Hermione and Ginny both had frosting all over their dresses but they didn't seem to care. Harry glanced at Eva and saw that she had frosting in her hair on the side of her head that was facing the cake. She was laughing too. It had been so long since he had heard her laughter that he couldn't help but join in.

"That was great!" Nora cried. She had frosting on the tip of her nose and was trying to lick it off.

"I'm afraid we don't have any desert now. Or leftovers," Mrs. Weasley muttered, glancing at the pudding-filled table.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Eva said, standing up. She ran over to the doorway where the twins had hung her coat and brought over a brown package that looked like a pizza box. "I brought something for desert."

"Dear, you didn't have to do that," Mrs. Weasley said as she cleared a spot on the table.

"It's about time I paid you back for something," Eva replied, smiling. "Besides, it came in handy now." She set the box down and opened it up. Immediately, Harry was greeted with the sweet smell of pecans and cinnamon.

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

"It's chocolate pecan pie. A secret family recipe."

"Our mum used to make it fresh every Christmas Eve," Nora said quietly, looking down at her napkin in her lap. Her eyes were sad.

Harry could see the uneasiness in Eva's face as she watched her younger sister. "Aye, but I'm getting better at making it just like hers, don't you think?" she questioned. Harry could see that this was why Eva tried to make Christmas perfect for Nora - the look on her face was enough to break any sister's heart.

Nora looked up and smiled meekly. "I guess so."

"You guess so?" Eva grinned broadly, thought it didn't quite reach her eyes, and tousled her sister's hair. "C'mon, you can cut it." She handed Nora a knife and Mrs. Weasley brought out some empty plates.

When Harry got his piece, he couldn't help but take another sniff. The smell reminded him of something. He swore he recognized the aroma from somewhere. Perhaps it was a dream.

* * *

Fred and George's prank was actually a blessing in disguise. It had taken the edginess out of the Burrow and replaced it with laughter. Harry sat back on the loveseat in the living room and watched as the twins showed Nora some of their latest gadgets. Eva was sitting next to him, and he was feeling more comfortable around her as the night went on.

Harry was painstakingly searching the ceilings for mistletoe. Last Christmas, he had been the one who was caught off guard beneath the mistletoe. Now he wanted to be the one making his move, instead of the other way around. He couldn't believe that there wasn't any hanging in the Burrow. He'd always thought of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley as being at least a little romantic. Wasn't it a tradition to have it?

"What are you looking at?" Eva questioned, following Harry's gaze.

"Oh... er, I was just looking at the treetop," Harry explained. Why did he blush every time she spoke to him? "Did... did you enjoy the dinner?"

She nodded. "I can't remember the last time I've eaten a better meal. The food was great. The company was..." She met his eyes. "Even better."

Harry grinned sheepishly. "Well, desert was excellent. You really saved the day."

She scoffed. "It was nothing."

"No, I mean it. No desert on Christmas Eve is like... no eggs on Easter." He realized that Eva saved the day sometimes too. At least they had that in common. Harry saved lives, and Eva saved Christmas desert. And somehow, at that moment, he felt as if both dangers were equal.

He also felt like an idiot for the way he was talking to her. He'd never felt so strongly about someone in his life. But at that moment, he felt like if he didn't feel Eva's touch, he would explode. On impulse - and using some good old-fashioned Gryffindor courage - he reached out and grabbed her hand. She smiled at him and scooted closer to him on the couch. So close that he could feel her bare thigh that wasn't hidden beneath her skirt against his leg. She let go of his hand so he could lift his arm over her shoulders and hold her closer.

Harry was beginning to wish he'd tried that maneuver the first time he'd been in her room in Hogsmeade. He turned and looked at her, and was surprised to see that she was a little red in the face as well. But she was smiling - truly smiling - and her eyes were sparkling in the firelight. It took all of Harry's strength not to lean over and kiss her right there in front of everyone in the Weasley's living room.

Fred and George performed a short, but colorful Christmas fireworks display in one corner of the living room, and everyone was amazed at the sight. The twins took a bow and asked for a volunteer for their latest experiment Skiving Snackboxes.

"They're our number one best-seller," Fred said. "We decided to come out with some Christmas flavors that people can use to get out of their nasty family get-togethers." He glanced at Mrs. Weasley. "Not ours, of course."

"What's a Skiving Snackbox?" Nora asked.

"You mean you don't know?" George asked, amazed. "I guess we didn't advertise enough to our Hogwarts students." He cleared his throat. "Dear Nora, a Skiving Snackbox is your answer to get out of that nasty test or boring lecture at anytime you desire."

"You mean, they're for skiving classes?"

"Exactly," Fred said.

"But why would I want to do that?" Nora questioned. "I love my classes. I hardly know any magic or anything about the wizarding world at all. Why would I want to skip my lessons?"

"Oy, she's turning out to be a proper brain, she is," George said. "Nearly bad as Granger there."

Hermione glared at the twins. "Don't listen to them, Nora. There's nothing wrong with being interested in school."

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "Hermione's hardly ever missed a class and she's one of the best witches in the school."

Hermione appeared to be flattered by Ron's statement, but Ginny rolled her eyes. "Now you're just sucking up," she muttered.

Harry laughed. Even though Ron and Hermione were sitting on the couch together, they were so far apart they could have been on separate continents. But at least they were speaking.

"Nora's a lost cause," Fred sighed.

"A lost customer," George added sadly.

"And she'd better be," Eva said. "If I ever hear of you skiving off your classes you'll be in big trouble."

Everyone laughed. Harry felt like the luckiest guy in the world, sitting with Eva in his arms. She had a sense of humor and responsibility. She was kind and caring. She was smart and witty. And she was gorgeous. He didn't even care that when she spoke everyone turned and gawked at them on the couch. He couldn't have been prouder to have a girl on his arm. He was just about to ask if she would reconsider about spending the night when Remus poked his head in the room. The adults, including Percy and Charlie, were having tea in the kitchen.

"Harry, I've got to get going," he said.

Harry glanced out the window and could see that the sun would be setting soon. The moon rise was coming swiftly. Harry reluctantly unwrapped his arm from Eva's shoulders and got up from the loveseat. "I'll be right back," he told her. "Don't go anywhere." She grinned back at him.

He didn't even try to hide his smile as he walked Remus to the door. But when he got a closer look at Remus, he saw what kind of rough shape he was in. He didn't look sick, but there was something odd about him. Something wild. He was a tad fidgety and seemed anxious.

"Are you going to be all right?" Harry asked.

He nodded. "I'm sorry about this, Harry. I wish I could stay longer."

"It's all right," Harry replied. "Where are you going from here?"

"The Order is taking care of me. Don't worry." His thin lips curved into a smile. "I promise I'll stop by again before you go back to school."

"Good," Harry replied. "I'd like that." There was an awkward moment where Harry wasn't sure if he should or not, but he was in such a fine mood that he couldn't think of a good reason not to. He leaned over and gave Remus a strong hug. After all, he was the closest thing he had to a father, and it was Christmas Eve. "Be careful," Harry whispered.

They parted. "I will. Merry Christmas." He turned and opened the door. "Oh, and Harry..."

"Yeah?" Harry answered, anxious to return to the living room and to Eva.

"Now I see why you wanted to sneak away from Hogwarts." He winked. "She's quite a girl."

Harry's smile grew ten times brighter. "She really is." Remus's approval sealed the deal. Harry was going to make sure that by the end of the night, Eva was going to be his girl.

Remus shut the door behind him, but even the cold winter wind couldn't cool the warmth that Harry felt inside. He returned to the living room and took his seat next to Eva. Everyone was done with their tea in the kitchen and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were standing by the tree, holding hands. Charlie was sitting next to Eva, so Harry sat down on the arm of the loveseat closest to her.

"It's time to resurrect an old family tradition," Mr. Weasley announced. "I know that Bill is not with us tonight, and that we have some surrogate family members," he nodded at Nora, Eva, and Hermione, "but that's no reason not to have a proper Christmas Eve celebration."

"What's the tradition?" Nora questioned.

"Everyone gets to open one gift on Christmas Eve. But only one, no more."

"It was a little more exciting when we were kids," Charlie said quietly to Eva and Harry. "Best to play along." He winked and turned to his father. "Come on, dad, why can't we open them all?"

"Because then you'll not have any left for tomorrow," Mrs. Weasley said. She pulled out a bundle of gifts from underneath the tree. Harry spotted the one he'd bought for Eva immediately. In retrospect, he thought he'd bought her the wrong gift completely, and had half a mind take it from under the tree and not give it to her at all. Perhaps he should have been thinking more romantically.

One by one, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley handed a gift to everyone in the room but Nora and Eva. Harry had told him that he'd already bought gifts for the two of them and they didn't need to worry about the Finnigan sisters. Harry quickly got up from his seat and pulled out two packages. He handed one to Nora, who was sitting on the floor, and gave the other to Eva.

"Harry, you shouldn't have," she said, setting the heavy package in her lap.

"I don't know if you'll be thanking me when you see what it is," he muttered. "Open it."

Eva smiled at him, then quickly tore into the wrapping paper. She gasped when she saw what it was.

"You got her Hogwarts: A History?!" Charlie cried. He'd been watching the two of them.

Eva laughed and quickly opened up the thick book, flipping through the colorful pages. Harry nervously started making excuses. "I know it doesn't seem very glamorous or anything, but you said you wanted to know about Hogwarts, and well, even though I've never read it, I know it has just about everything you've ever wanted to know about the school."

"It's actually quite good," Hermione said.

Eva turned to him, smiling. "It's perfect, Harry. Thank you." She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Harry was so overwhelmed he almost didn't realize that Nora had opened her gift as well.

"Gobstones!" she cried. "Excellent!"

Eva's eyes beamed with delight. "You're too much," she whispered. "Really, Harry. You're too good to us." There was a hint of tears in her eyes, and it melted Harry's heart.

"It's the least I could do for you after all you've done for me." He reached down and took her hand. He wanted desperately to be alone with her. "Are you sure you can't spend the night?"

Eva shook her head. "We've got to visit me mum." Her face seemed to harden at the thought. Harry had almost caught her with her guard down. She stiffened up.

"C'mon Harry, open your gift up," Ron said.

Harry looked around the room and saw that everyone else had received their Christmas sweaters with their initials on them. Even Hermione got one. Harry laughed, then quickly tore into his gift. It was a scarlet sweater that matched everyone else's, and the letter "H" was knitted on the front.

"Put it on everyone," Mr. Weasley said. "Eva, would you be kind enough to take a picture of us in front of the tree?"

"Certainly," Eva said, standing up. Mrs. Weasley fished out a camera from somewhere, and everyone grumbled as they stood and stretched, slipping their sweaters on over their fancy holiday clothing. They lined up carefully in front of the tree.

Eva peered through the lens. "Say cheese!"

"Cheese!"

And as cheesy as it was, Harry couldn't help but grin. So this was what it felt like to have a family. This is what it felt like to finally find someone to share a kiss with. This is what it felt like to be loved.